The present invention pertains to a respirator and more particularly to a new and improved respirator which ensures a snug fit over a person's nose and the cheeks on the sides of the nose without impairment of one's breathing and possibly improving the nasal breathing of the person wearing the respirator. The present invention also pertains to a new and improved method of fitting a respirator to a person's face.
Respirators, also referred to as "filtering face masks" have long been provided to wear over the breathing passages of a person's face for three common purposes: (1) to prevent impurities or contaminants from entering the wearer's breathing passage; (2) to provide a warm air layer within the respirator to allow the person wearing the respirator to breathe warmer than ambient air, and in cold weather to exhale warm air into a warmer than ambient environment so as to prevent condensation and freezing on the person wearing the respirator, and (3) to protect others from being exposed to pathogens or other contaminates exhaled by the wearer. In the first situation, a respirator is worn in an environment where air contains particles harmful to the wearer, for example, in an auto body shop, in a foundry, or when spray painting or sanding drywall joints in places of limited ventilation. In the second situation, a respirator is worn in an environment where there is a high risk of infection, for example, in an operating room, or in a crowded working environment. Respirators are now required to be worn by persons in certain environments.
Two types of respirators are available for such use. The first type fits over the nose and leaves the mouth uncovered by the respirator. A second type covers both the nose and the mouth. In both types, common deficiencies have been found in the respirator due to the material from which the respirator is made and the work environment of the wearer. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator.
Prior art respirators are generally deficient in the manner in which they provide a seal around the nose and to the cheeks of a person wearing the respirator. Most of these prior art respirators do not seal well to the face, and thus, when one breathes into the respirator, breath leaks around the periphery between the respirator and the face. Thus, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator for providing a snug fit over a person's nose and to the cheeks on both sides of the nose.
Persons wearing glasses also experience on cooler days excessive fogging of the glasses, requiring persons to remove the glasses and clean the glasses periodically. Some respirators provide such a poor seal between the nose and the respirator that moist air from exhaling not only leaks between the respirator and the nose, but is directed onto the glasses causing them to fog repetitively so quickly after wiping them, that the person has few other alternatives other than to remove the glasses, or remove the respirator. Thus, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator which provides an improved seal between the respirator and the face of the person wearing the respirator. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator which provides an improved seal between the respirator and the face of the person wearing the respirator such that even upon heavy breathing, a person's glasses will not fog.
Many respirators now are required to be worn by persons doing rigorous physical activity. Asthmatics who are exercising wear such respirators, and workmen doing hard physical labor wear such respirators, even when the weather is very warm. Thus, it is more important than ever that the seal around the face remain adequate during use when the wearer is undergoing rigorous breathing, such as during heavy physical exercise, and is perspiring profusely. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator having an improved seal around the periphery of the respirator to the face when the person wearing the respirator is doing rigorous physical exercise and gasping for air and exhaling strongly.
Nose clips are commonly used on respirators to achieve a snug fit over the nose of the wearer. Conventional nose clips are in the form of pliable, soft linear strips of aluminum, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,307,776 or 4,600,002, or 3,603,315. See also U.K. Patent Application GB 2103471. Conventional nose clips help to provide a snug fit over the nose of the wearer, but the fit frequently has been obtained at the expense of restricted flow through the wearer's nasal passages. In addition, conventional nose clips are known to exert a clamping pressure on the wearer's nose and the cheekbones and this clamping pressure can also cause discomfort to the wearer. Other nose clips have the drawback of not extending over the bridge of the nose and therefore are not very good candidates for commercial use on conventional cup shaped or full face or partial face respirators. See for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,153,437 and 2,568,254. Such nose clips are not preferred for respirators used during rigorous physical exercise in which the person gasps for breath and exhales strongly. It is therefore highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator which has an improved seal between the face of the person wearing the respirator not at the expense of restricting airflow through the wearer's nasal passages.
A portion of the human population have some malformation of the nasal passage which makes breathing difficult even when not undergoing rigorous exercise. Thus, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator which can be utilized by those people who have difficulty breathing because of malformations in their nasal passages. It is further highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator which enhances the breathing of most people. It is also highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator which can be worn during rigorous exercise and by athletes. Finally, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator which enhances breathing of all persons wearing the respirator by dilating the nasal passages.
Respirators such as the one disclosed herein are most desirable if they are disposable after use. Therefore, it highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator which is of simple construction, convenient to use and can be manufactured relatively inexpensively so as to be disposable.
Finally, it is highly desirable to provide a new and improved respirator having all of the above-identified features.